Museum Eyes Last Canadian-Made Box Of Cereal

Jeff

A museum in Canada takes the local history seriously to the point that it wants a historic box of corn flakes to be part of its collection. The Museum London in London, Ontario, is hoping to be the final home of a box of Frosted Flakes, which was produced by the city’s now-shuttered Kellogg’s plant.

The museum has a mandate to collect artefacts that are vital to the place’s history. It is currently convincing a high school teacher from a nearby town to donate the historic box of cornflakes.

The box in question is currently at the home of high school teacher Stephane Gaudette in Timmins, Ontario. Gaudette said he discovered that the cereal box was of some significance when he opened it and saw a note inside. Written in black marker and dated December 5, 2014, the note read: “This is the very last bag of Canadian cereal for the Canadian market from Kellogg’s London Ontario plant.”

After hearing about Gaudette’s discovery, museum curator Amber Lloydlangston contacted him to ask him about his plans regarding the box. Lloydlangston also asked Gaudette if there is any chance that he is willing to donate the box to the museum.

Gaudette replied that it is “still early to tell” what he will do with the box. He told Lloydlangston that he wants to keep the box for himself for a little bit. However, he failed to specify how long exactly he is planning to keep the box.

Meanwhile, Lloydlangston is encouraging former employees of the Kellogg’s plant to come forward with items that document their history at the facility. Anything from uniforms to lunch boxes to hair nets, as long as they paint a picture of those who worked there, the museum will be more than happy to accept them.

Karen Jenkins, a former employee at Kellogg’s, said she cooked the last batch of corn that was used to make the final boxes of cereal, including the one that is currently in Gaudette’s possession. According to her, many former employees have received numerous items from the company that they could donate to the museum.

Jenkins, who now helps fellow former Kellogg’s employees looking for employment, also shared that she was sad that the plant closed after 138 years of operations. “There are emotions you have to work yourself through. But you know what? There’s another chapter in your life that you have to continue on with,” she said.